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Taiwanese
friendliness touches writer¡¦s heart
OUTSTANDING: The warmth and kindness of
Taiwanese are in direct contrast to how people in Singapore act every day, a
Singaporean writer said
Staff writer, with CNA
A Singaporean writer has described a difference between people in Taiwan and
Singapore after seeing a simple poster in a Taipei restaurant during a recent
trip to the nation.
In an essay published earlier this week in Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese-language
newspaper in Singapore, writer and columnist Wu Wei Cai said he saw a poster
with a smile sign at a restaurant in Taipei that read: ¡§Please forgive us for
being short of helping hands, short of greetings and short of smiles.¡¨
The poster, which may seem normal to most Taiwanese, gave Wu plenty of food for
thought.
Singaporeans have grown accustomed to direct speech, he wrote, and signs
reading: ¡§Please help yourselves when we¡¦re busy,¡¨ are common in the city-state.
Singapore¡¦s signs are definitely different in tone from the poster in the
Taiwanese restaurant, which shows the ¡§civility and human warmth¡¨ of the
Taiwanese, the writer said.
Another time in Taipei he traveled through heavy rains to go to the Red House
Theater in Ximending (¦èªùËm). Staff at the theater advised him to dry off in the
lobby for a few minutes, worried that he might catch a cold in the
air-conditioned theater, Wu said.
He wrote that such considerate attention went well beyond the usual greetings
and politeness.
¡§Taipei is a modern city. How is it that despite being under pressure people
have not forgotten such human kindness?¡¨ he asked.
The newspaper also ran a letter from a woman who wrote about how Taiwan changed
the mindset of a male acquaintance.
She said the young Singaporean man, whose English was excellent, although his
Mandarin was poor, thought differently about learning Mandarin after visiting
Taiwan and being touched by its warmth, kindness and friendly service.
Taipei¡¦s many distinctive coffee shops made the young man realize that Taiwan
has a richer culture than Singapore, making him rethink his attitude toward
learning Mandarin.
The letter writer said the young man discovered that even if Singapore has
better facilities and hard infrastructure, it lacks the soft power of warmth,
sincerity, passion and friendliness.
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